Lesson video

Hi there, I'm Mr. Moss, I love spelling and I'm really looking forward to teaching you With you for today's spelling lesson, you're going to need to bring your looking eyes, your listening ears, and your thinking brains As well as that's something to write with and write on, and someone or something to talk to would also be really helpful.

Let's get into today's spelling lesson then.

In this lesson we're going to be spelling further near-homophones and homophones.

The outcome is I can identify the correct spelling of homophones and near-homophones.

Here are the keywords for today's learning.

My turn, your turn, near-homophone, word class, context.

Great, thanks for saying those back to me.

Let's have a chat about what these words mean, then.

A near-homophone is a word that sounds very similar to another word.

Remember homophones are those words that sound the same But has a slightly different spelling and a different meaning.

Word class refers to different types of words that are used to form sentences, adjectives, adverbs, nouns, verbs are all forms of word class.

Interestingly, homophones, those words that sound the same but are spelled differently, can often have different word classes as well.

And the context is the surrounding words or sentences that help determine the meaning of a word or phrase.

We can use the context to help us decide which spelling, or which homophone we should use.

So here's the lesson outline, just two learning cycles.

We're going to be looking at homophones and near-homophones in the first cycle, and then we're going to be applying spelling within a sentence in that second cycle.

Let's get on with looking at homophones and near-homophones, then.

Remember, homophones sound the same but have different meanings and different spellings.

That word homophone, if you break it down, is derived from Greek.

The first part, homo, we get from the word homos, meaning one in the same.

And that phone like phoneme links to a sound.

So literally this word means the same sound or one in the same sound.

Let's look at some examples of homophones, then On entry, each guest was asked to remove their shoes.

She guessed the answer correctly on her first attempt.

Guest and guessed here are both examples of homophones.

They sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings.

The first guest is a noun, it's a person who's been invited somewhere, your guest.

The next word guest is a verb, it's a doing word.

You are making a guess, you're not sure of the answer.

And it's an '-ed,' isn't it, an '-ed' verb, past tense, she guessed the answer.

Be really careful with that '-ed' suffix 'cause it can sometimes sound like a T, can't it? And that's why we can get confused between these homophones because they sound the same.

Although these words sound the same when spoken, they have different spellings and very different meanings.

We call these homophones.

We can look carefully at the context of each sentence to know which spelling would be correct, which homophone to use.

If we were to use the wrong spelling, our sentence then wouldn't make sense.

I'd like you here to match the homophones for me.

Read the words on either side, match the words which sound the same, but are spelled differently, off you go.

Brilliant, so the first one is led and lead.

Led, L-E-D is that past tense of you leading someone, and lead, L-E-A-D, is that material that often is found in the lining of pipes traditionally.

Bridal and bridle, bridal, B-R-I-D-A-L is as in the bride of the bride and groom getting married.

Bridle, B-R-I-D-L-E, is to do with a horse.

Whose and who's, we have whose as in, whose is this? And we have who's, the contractive form of who and is, who is.

And we have morning, morning as in oh, I wake up in the morning.

And mourning with a 'u,' and I remember this is that 'u' meaning upset.

Mourning as in grieving the loss of someone or something.

Remember, homophones are those words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings.

A word may be a homophone or it might be a near-homophone depending on your accent or pronunciation.

Near-homophones sound very similar to another word, but have a different spelling and a different meaning.

Let's look at some examples.

We all went to the party except for Granddad.

You should always accept help if you need it.

Now dependent on pronunciation here, the word except and accept are near-homophones.

Except here, 'ex,' our prefix 'ex-' means the exception.

The person who didn't do that thing, and accept is where you agree to something.

Dependent on how you pronounce these, they may be near-homophones.

Read the following words.

Pause the video now, have a go at reading these words, off you go.

Brilliant, I can see wary, seen as in I have seen you, bored like ah, this is boring.

Advice, device, proceed, and profit where you make money.

Some of these words are homophones, very clearly.

They sound the same as other words, but they have different spellings and meanings.

Some of them are near-homophones, they sound very similar but have different spellings and different meanings as well.

Wary and weary, for instance, dependent on pronunciation.

Seen and scene are definitely homophones.

Bored and board are certainly homophones.

Advice and advise near-homophones, dependent on pronunciation.

Device and devise near-homophones, again dependent on pronunciation.

And proceed and precede again, can be pronounced very similarly.

And profit and prophet, down at the bottom, are certainly homophones so here we have a combination of homophones and near-homophones.

We're going to look at the definitions of these words and consider the context in which we could use them.

So near-homophones sound very similar to another word, but have a different spelling and a different meaning.

As with homophones, we must use the context to help us.

For instance, I was always taught to be wary of strangers.

After a long day of hiking, I am feeling weary.

Can you spot the near-homophones in these sentences, the words that sound very similar but are spelled differently and have different meanings? Read the sentences again, have a think.

Excellent, so our near-homophones here are wary and weary, dependent on accent, pronunciation can sound very similar so they're near-homophones.

Let's consider then, what these words mean.

Knowing the meanings of these homophones and near-homophones helps us to spell them and to use them in the correct context.

The word wary is how I pronounce it, W-A-R-Y, means on guard against threat or danger.

I was always taught to be wary of strangers, to be on guard and to be aware.

But the word weary, W-E-A-R-Y, means tired in body or mind.

After a long day of hiking, I am feeling weary, I am feeling tired, these are near-homophones, dependent on pronunciation.

You can use the context of the sentence to help you work out the spelling of the homophone, remember.

Can you spot the homophones in these sentences? Read both sentences, see if you can spot the homophones.

Excellent job team.

I haven't seen my best friend in ages.

I painted a scene from a walk that I went on.

Seen and scene are our homophones here.

They're spelled differently and they have different meanings.

I'm wondering if you can figure out the meaning of each of these words.

Also, to say that scene spelled with that 'sc' for that 'sc' sound is also a homonym, a word that can be spelt the same and pronounced similarly or differently, but that can have multiple meanings.

Can you think of any other definitions for the word scene, S-C-E-N-E? Pause the video and have a think.

Brilliant, it could also be as in a movie scene.

So the part of a film or movie, there's continuous action taking place.

So with the knowledge that we've looked at so far with homophones and near-homophones are words that sound exactly the same.

Near-homophones are words that sound exactly the same, but they have different spellings and meanings, true or false? And justify your answer from below, off you go.

Brilliant, this statement is false, it is not true because near-homophones sound very similar to another word, but have a slightly different spelling and a different meaning.

So which spelling fits the gap in this sentence? Consider the meaning of each of the words.

Think about the context of the sentence.

The village shop is open every day, mm, Sunday.

Pause the video, select the correct word now, off you go, watch out for those near-homophones.

Great job team.

So the first word is accept, hmm.

Now it's nothing to do with agreeing to something here, is it? The village shop is open every day accept Sunday, no.

The village shop is open every day except Sunday, the exception to the rule, that one doesn't follow the normal pattern.

Yes, that could work.

And ascent, well, that's not even a near-homophone with accept or except, is it? So our correct answer is except, it's the exception.

The way a word is spelled and its place within a sentence will tell us its meaning.

The spelling of near-homophones and homophones can be easily confused.

Listen to these near-homophones in sentences and see if you can work out their meaning.

Wait for the green light before you proceed to cross the street.

The national anthem will precede the start of a big sports event.

Now some people might pronounce the first one here, proceed.

Others might pronounce it precede, dependent on pronunciation.

This makes these near-homophones.

They're also very similar in spelling but slightly different and they're certainly different in meaning.

Do you think you can work out the meaning of each of these words from the context of the sentence? Pause the video and have a think.

Great, so using the context can help us, can't it? Proceed with my prefix 'pro-' is to go forward to advance in something.

Wait for the green light before you proceed, you move on.

The national anthem will precede with our prefix 'pre-' so it's going to come before the start of a big sports event.

They mean different things, although they can be pronounced in similar ways they have different spellings and different meanings, they're homophones or near-homophones.

We can come up with our very own ideas to help us remember the spellings of homophones and near-homophones.

And we can be really creative with this.

The prophet delivered a message of hope and guidance for the future.

A prophet in this instance is someone regarded to be a messenger from God.

The cake stand made the biggest profit at the school fair.

Profit here is making money.

They both mean different things, they sound the same, but they're spelled differently, they're homophones.

Look at the letters that are different.

Think carefully, how could you try and remember each spelling? Pause the video, have a think, be creative, off you go.

Great, some really creative, inventive ways of trying to remember these homophones and near-homophones there.

I was thinking I can remember profit or pro fit P-R-O-F-I-T, that moneymaking as thinking, ah, if I made a profit I might not be able to fit all of that money into my wallet.

So for our practise task now what I'd like you to do is listen to the full sentences that I read out and choose the correct spelling of the homophone or near-homophone to fill the gaps, listen really carefully.

The dog was wary of other dogs and preferred to be alone.

Number two, after you've shown your ticket, you can proceed to your seat.

Number three, the artist painted the scene so beautifully.

Number four, by the evening I am often weary and ready for bed.

And number five, they agreed to accept each other's opinions and move on.

So let me say these words one more time one through five.

Listen carefully, wary, proceed or proceed, scene, weary, and accept.

Pause the video now, think carefully about the correct spelling and the context of each sentence, add the words, off you go.

Fantastic job team, I'm super impressed.

This is really tricky, isn't it 'cause there's no clear spelling patterns? It's a case of learning the spellings of the homophones and then applying them in the correct context.

So the dog was wary.

Now it wouldn't be weary like tired of other dogs and preferred to be alone.

It might be wary as in on guard.

So W-A-R-Y was our spelling there.

After you've shown your ticket, you can proceed or proceed to your seat.

It's moving forward so it's got our prefix 'pro-' in it and it's that spelling.

The artist painted the scene so beautifully.

It's not going to be seen with the eyes.

It's the scene, that place where something is taking place.

And it's that S-C-E-N-E spelling.

Remember that's a homonym as well.

By the evening I'm very weary and ready for bed.

Well that's that tired, isn't it, W-E-A-R-Y.

And they agreed to accept each other's opinions and move on.

Well this isn't an exception, it's accepting and agreeing, isn't it, A-C-C-E-P-T.

Be careful with that 'p' there as well.

How did you do, make any corrections now.

Onto our final learning cycle then, which is applying spellings within a sentence.

Let's read some curriculum words, my turn, your turn.

Recognise, I could barely recognise him.

Category, I split them into different categories.

Read these words again, compare the way they sound to how they're spelt, do you think there might be anything tricky about them, off you go.

Great, some really nice conversations going on there.

So I've noticed a couple of things.

The 'g' in recognise isn't always pronounced.

People say recognise, you can't very clearly hear it all the time.

And in category our 'o' there in this polysyllabic word is not particularly emphasised.

It can sound like category rather than category, we don't always hear that 'o' so it's an unstressed vowel sound there, be careful with that one.

So which of the words that we've just looked at are spelled correctly here? Point now to the correct spelling of recognise, off you go.

Brilliant, remember it has that 'g' in the middle and I know it sounds like zzz, recognise, it's that '-se' at the end there so watch out for that.

Point to the correct spelling of category, go.

What was tricky about this one, remember? That unstressed 'o' vowel category, but it's category.

Perhaps breaking the word up and saying cat-eh-gor-y might help you there.

So we know that we can use the context of a sentence to work out the meaning of a word, particularly homophones and near-homophones.

We can also use the context of the sentence to work out the word class as well, which is really important.

My mum always gives me the best advice.

I advise you to always try your best.

Advice that is given to you here is a noun.

It is that guidance that is being given to you.

I advise you to always try your best is a verb, it's a doing word.

These are near-homophones so they sound slightly different.

They don't sound exactly the same.

Saying the alternative spelling in the other sentence can help you to hear if it sounds correct or not.

My mum always gives the best advise wouldn't make sense.

I advice you to always try your best, wouldn't make sense.

That's a really helpful strategy when picking which spelling to use, either that '-ce' or that '-se.

' Some homophones or near-homophones have similarities as well, if we can remember the spelling of one this can help us spell other words with related meanings and related word class.

My mum always gives the best advice.

You can plug your device in over here to charge it.

Both of these things are nouns as well with that '-ce' spelling.

I advise you to always try your best, a verb.

Let's devise a plan to tackle this problem, another verb so our verbs have that '-se' and there's that slight difference in pronunciation as well, isn't there? Remember, we can also try saying the other way within each sentence to hear if it makes sense and that will help us decide on the correct spelling.

So with that in mind, with those strategies that we've just looked at, select the correct spelling in each sentence here, read through them and select the correct spelling, off you go.

Brilliant, after I finish my homework, I will use my device.

Now let's say devise wouldn't make sense, would it? Device, which I know is my noun as well, a device like an iPad.

I will device a solution to this puzzle.

Doesn't sound right, does it? I will devise, that verb to come up with, a solution to this puzzle.

They will advise you to keep your anoraks on, your coat.

They will advice you, doesn't sound right, does it? It's advice, it's something you are being given by someone, it's a doing word, a verb.

I received some good advice about secondary school.

That's a noun, it's a thing you've been given, it's a thing so it's the '-ce' spelling here, brilliant.

So we are now going to have a go at writing a sentence which contains some of our focus spellings.

These homophones are near-homophones that sound similar.

When we write the whole sentence, we have to do several things at once.

We need to remember the whole sentence, we need to sound out each word.

We're going to need to think of spelling rules.

And we're also going to need to look out for common exception words and curriculum words.

Finally you, obviously, have to remember our sentence punctuation.

So I'm going to read the sentence out loud.

Just listen to the sentence and try and hold it in your mind as I read it.

It's quite long so just listen carefully.

I advise you to proceed with care and be wary of accepting advice from people you do not recognise.

I advise you to proceed with care and be wary of accepting advice from people you do not recognise.

So we're gonna use some strategies now to help us remember this sentence.

The first is to repeat the sentence several times out loud.

You can whisper it to yourself.

You could say it quietly to yourself.

You could say it to a partner.

I advise you to proceed with care and be wary of accepting advice from people you do not recognise.

I advise you to proceed with care and be wary of accepting advice from people you do not recognise.

What we can also do is picture what's happening in your head.

Maybe picture a stranger danger here or someone talking to someone and giving them advice.

I advise you to proceed with care and be wary of accepting advice from people you do not recognise.

I wonder what you imagined there? And finally, we can count how many words there are.

I advise you to proceed with care and be wary of accepting advice from people you do not recognise.

I make that 19 words.

So you're gonna have a chance now to write this sentence.

Remember to sound out each word.

Look out for those common exception words.

Be careful with those homophones and near-homophones.

And check your sentence punctuation.

Look really carefully back at your sentence as well.

So I'm gonna say the sentence one more time now.

I advise you to proceed with care and be wary of accepting advice from people you do not recognise.

Pause the video and write that sentence now, off you go.

Excellent job team, really great work.

Some really tricky words in there.

And the words that are sort of near-homophones and homophones and I'm really impressed with how carefully children were saying them, and reading the words out loud and thinking about which homophone or near-homophone made sense so great job.

I advise and that's that advise, it's that verb, isn't it? It's not advice, it's that '-se.

' You to proceed, now this is to move forward, to go forward, proceed.

Not precede, not something coming before.

So it's P-R-O-C-E-E-D with care and be wary.

Now, this means being guarded and aware, not tired, not weary.

Of accepting so double C here, accept, not except, it's not an exception.

It's accepting, taking on and agreeing with.

Advice so look, we had advise earlier, now this is advice, this is that noun.

From people you do not recognise.

And that curriculum where we had recognise with that 'g' and then that '-se' at the end.

How did you do then, how did you get on particularly with our homophones, and near-homophones? Advice, advise, proceed, wary, how you go with accepting as well, and our curriculum word, recognise? Make any corrections, share your learning, and share any matching mistakes now, off you go.

Excellent job in spelling today team.

We've been looking at homophones and near-homophones.

Remember, homophones are words that sound very similar to another word, but have a slightly different spelling and different meaning.

The context of a sentence can help us work out the meaning of the word and also its word class, which can vary dependent on which homophone it is.

There are no spelling rules for homophones or near-homophones so we must learn them by sight, or come up with our own strategies to help us remember them.

See if you can spot any more of these homophones and near-homophones in your next reading that you do.

Keep up the great spelling practise as well, and I'll see you again soon.